Topic outline of Germany

:"For an alphabetical index of this subject, see the List of Germany-related articles."

Germany, known officially as the Federal Republic of Germanycite book | editor = Max Mangold (ed.) | title = Duden, Aussprachewörterbuch (Duden Pronunciation Dictionary) | edition = 6th ed. | year = 1995 | publisher = Dudenverlag (Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brockhaus AG | location = Mannheim | language = German | isbn = 3-411-04066-1 | pages = pp 271, 53f ] is a country in Central Europe. Germany is a federal parliamentary republic of sixteen states ( _de. "Bundesländer"). The capital and largest city is Berlin.

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Germany:

__TOC__

* Pronunciation:
* International rankings of Germany

Geography of Germany

: "Main articles: Geography of Germany"

Germany is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357,021 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.

* Germany is: a country
* Location:
** Northern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
** Eurasia
*** Europe
**** Central Europe
**** Western Europe
** Extreme points of Germany
* Population of France: 82,217,800 people (2007 estimate) - 14th most populous country
* Area of France: unit sqkm|357021|0|lk=on - 63rd largest country
*

Environment of Germany

* Climate of Germany
* Ecology of Germany
** Ecoregions in Germany
** Renewable energy in Germany
* Geology of Germany
* National parks of Germany
* Protected areas of Germany
* Wildlife of Germany
** Flora of Germany
** Fauna of Germany
*** Birds of Germany
*** Mammals of Germany

Geographic features of Germany

* Fjords of Germany
* Glaciers of Germany
* Islands of Germany
* Lakes of Germany
* Mountains of Germany
** Volcanoes in Germany
* Rivers of Germany
** Waterfalls of Germany
* Valleys of Germany
* World Heritage Sites in Germany

Regions of Germany

: "Main article: Regions of Germany"

Administrative divisions of Germany

States of Germany

Germany is divided into 16 "Bundesländer":
* "'
* "' ("Freistaat Bayern")
* "'
* "'
* "' ("Freie Hansestadt Bremen")
* "' ("Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg")
* "' ("Hessen")
* "' ("Mecklenburg-Vorpommern")
* "' ("Niedersachsen")
* "' ("Nordrhein-Westfalen")
* "' ("Rheinland-Pfalz")
* "'
* "' ("Freistaat Sachsen")
* "' ("Sachsen-Anhalt")
* "'
* "' ("Freistaat Thüringen")

Further subdivisions

* Regierungsbezirk ("Regions", similar to counties)
** Landkreise (Rural districts)
** Kreisfreie Städte (Urban districts)
* Cities of Germany

Demography of Germany

: "Main article: Demographics of Germany"

With over 82 million inhabitants, it comprises the largest population among the member states of the European Union and is home to the third-highest number of international migrants.

Government and politics of Germany

: "Main article: Government of Germany and Politics of Germany"

* Form of government: federal parliamentary representative democratic republic
* Capital of Germany: Berlin

* Elections in Germany
** (specific elections)
* Political parties in Germany
* Political scandals of Germany
* Taxation in Germany

Branches of the government of Germany

Executive branch of the government of Germany

* Head of state: President of Germany
* Head of government: Chancellor of Germany
* Cabinet of Germany

Legislative branch of the government of Germany

* Parliament of Germany (bicameral)
** Upper house: Bundesrat of Germany
** Lower house: Bundestag

Judicial branch of the government of Germany

* Supreme Court of Germany

Foreign relations of Germany

* United States-Germany relations

International organization membership

Germany is a member of:
* United Nations
* NATO*
* G8
* G4 nations

and signed the:
* Kyoto protocol

Law and order in Germany

: "Main article: Law of Germany"

* Capital punishment in Germany
* Constitution of Germany
* Crime in Germany
* Human rights in Germany
** LGBT rights in Germany
** Freedom of religion in Germany
* Law enforcement in Germany
** National law enforcement agencies
*** Federal Criminal Police Office (Germany)
*** Federal Police (Germany)
*** German Federal Coast Guard
*** GSG 9
** Regional law enforcement agencies
*** Landespolizei - are operated by individual German states and are responsible for the bulk of police work in Germany
**** Baden-Württemberg Police
**** Bavarian State Police
**** Hesse State Police
**** North Rhine-Westphalia Police
**** Rheinland-Pfalz State Police
**** Saarland Police
*** Landespolizei forces are divided into the following operational sections:
***** "Schutzpolizei" - ('Schupo') The uniformed police officers who patrol the streets, respond to emergency calls, do traffic policing etc.
*****"Kriminalpolizei" - ('Kripo') The plain clothes detective branch of the State police, responsible for investigations. For instance, if a car is broken into, the Schupo will respond, secure the car, notify the owner etc, and then hand the case over to Kripo for investigation.
*****"Einsatzhundertschaften" (EHU) / "Bereitschaftspolizei" (BePo) - Uniformed part of the LaPo that is used when manpower is required, for example during political demonstrations.
*****"Landeskriminalamt" (LKA) - The State Investigation Bureau is directly subordinate to the state ministry of the interior, supervises police operations aimed at preventing and investigating criminal offences, and coordinates investigations involving more than one "Präsidium".
*****"Wasserschutzpolizei" (WSP) - The river police for patrolling rivers, lakes and harbours.
*****"Spezialeinsatzkommando" (SEK) - The SWAT teams of the German state police.
*****"Autobahnpolizei" - The highway patrol or motorway police in Germany.

Military of Germany

: "Main article: Military of Germany"

* Command
** Commander-in-chief:
*** Ministry of Defence of Germany
* Bundeswehr
** Army of Germany: Heer
** Navy of Germany: Marine
** Air force of Germany: Luftwaffe
** Special forces of Germany
* Military history of Germany
* Military ranks of Germany

Local government in Germany

History of Germany

: "Main articles: History of Germany, Germanic peoples, Germania, and Timeline of German history"

* Military history of Germany

Culture of Germany

: "Main article: Culture of Germany"

* Architecture of Germany
* Cuisine of Germany
* Ethnic minorities in Germany
* Festivals in Germany
* German humour
* Languages of Germany
* Media in Germany
* National symbols of Germany
** Coat of arms of Germany
** Flag of Germany
** National anthem of Germany
* Prostitution in Germany
* Public holidays in Germany
* Records of Germany
* Religion in Germany
** Buddhism in Germany
** Christianity in Germany
** Hinduism in Germany
** Islam in Germany
** Judaism in Germany
** Sikhism in Germany
* World Heritage Sites in Germany

The Arts in Germany

* Art in Germany
* Cinema of Germany
* Cuisine of Germany
* Literature of Germany
* Music of Germany
* Television in Germany

Sports in Germany

: "Main article: Sports in Germany"

* Germany at the Olympics
* Football in Germany

Economy of Germany

: "Main article: Economy of Germany"

Germany was the largest exporter of goods in 2007. In absolute terms, Germany allocates the second biggest annual budget of development aid in the world, [ [http://www.topnews.in/germany-worlds-second-biggest-aid-donor-after-us-229970 Germany world's second biggest aid donor after US] TopNews, India, Retrieved 2008, 04-10.] while its military expenditure ranked sixth. [cite web
url = http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf/download
title = The fifteen major spenders in 2006| accessdate = 2007-08-23 | year = 2007| format = PDF | work = Recent trends in military expenditure | publisher = Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ] The country has developed a high standard of living and established a comprehensive system of social security.

* Economic rank (by nominal GDP): 3rd (third)

* Central banks
** Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt
** European Central Bank, Frankfurt
* Communications in Germany
* Companies of Germany
* Currency of Germany: the Euro (see also )
* Economic history of Germany
* Frankfurt Stock Exchange
* Mining in Germany
* Tourism in Germany
* Transport in Germany

Education in Germany

: "Main article: Education in Germany"

Infrastructure of Germany

* Communications in Germany
** Internet in Germany
* Energy in Germany
* Health care in Germany
* Transportation in Germany
** Airports in Germany
** Highway system of Germany
** Rail transport in Germany
* Water supply and sanitation in Germany

See also

* German Wikipedia
* List of basic geography topics
* List of Germany-related articles (alphabetical index)
* List of Germany-related topics
* List of international rankings

References

External links

General
* [http://www.deutschland.de/home.php?lang=2 Deutschland.de] — Official German portal
* [http://www.germany-tourism.de/ Germany Tourism]
* [http://www.expatica.com/de/main.html German news and features] , "Expatica"
* [http://www.dw-world.de DW-WORLD.DE Deutsche Welle] — Germany's international broadcaster
* [http://www.germany.info/ News Portal of the German Embassy to the USA]
*

Facts and figures
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/gm.html CIA statistics]
* [http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/ Facts about Germany] — by the German Federal Foreign Office
* [http://www.destatis.de/e_home.htm Destatis.de] — Federal Statistical Office Germany en icon

Travel
*
* [http://www.cometogermany.com Germany Travel Info] — by the German National Tourist Office

Pictures
* [http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/cat/27 Database of travelers' photos] sorted by region ("fotocommunity")